Narromine Shire Council plans to go ahead with the proposed levee bank alignment

At this month’s council meeting Cr Davies moved the report of the Floodplain Management Committee and the recommendations from the minutes of the meeting held on March 14, with the exception of the recommendation, “that Council discontinue the current process and apply for conditional funding from OEH to encompass a broader scope and investigate options for the existing railway line, for an unimpeded flow out on Webb Siding Road”.

There was a 5-3 vote against stopping the process and having a further study. 

“Having given more thought to the issues at hand, I am of the belief that as a Council we should move forward with our levee plans and get on with the job, we as Councillors were elected to do so,” he said.

“We’ve now had four studies and a peer review, and we could continue to have as many studies as we like, but by doing another study now we may well delay any progress of putting a levee into Narromine for three to five years at least.

Cr Davies asked the question should residents be delayed further, with the potential of a massive flood “simply because some members of this well intentioned group think they can lower the flood levee height as little as 14 centimetres”.

With the recommended levee Cr Davies said while there is always disruption in advancing communities, however the proposed alignment will create the least amount of disruption as possible.

“We are putting a levee in that will take any water that tops the river bank [along Warren road], it will float through their properties, not though houses but through yards, down to a bank that simply channels it down the Warren road and out of town.” 

“And also the people along Warren road would hate Council putting a levee between their houses and the river. It is impractical, it would completely destroy the ambience of their houses, and that's not what we're doing.”

Cr Davies is hopeful of having a the project in place by September of 2020, and is positive Council are in the marketplace to gain funding for building a levee bank. 

“It’s our intention is to try and make this a cost free situation for residents,” he said.

“After 20 years of this exercise I think it's time that the people of Narromine were given the opportunity to know where their lives are going. There are enough councillors who have the insight and the vision to want to continue with this project so that Narromine can flourish.”